Early yesterday, Trans World Airlines' colorful page on the World Wide Web showcased a contest for a free-trip. But by midday, the promotion was superseded by a stark, somber announcement of the crash of Flight 800 that avoided mention of any fatalities, though dozens of charred bodies had already been pulled from Moriches Bay.

And on web pages and news groups usually dedicated to everything from culture to the Whitewater case, the crash was the topic of the day. Self-made reporters sent news flashes with the latest off their television sets and radios. People speculated over causes, from the possibility of terrorist bombs to militia conspiracies, and poked fun at television coverage. Debates raged over whether the Government was covering up something. One exchange ended with anti-Government bitterness: "When you lie all the time, people suspect everything you say. Get used to it."

While television, radio and print media ladled out information, the Internet absorbed the emotions. People used to friendly E-mail and singles' chat rooms turned to their computers to find a place to register their shock that more than 200 people had died and to voice their concerns over airplane safety and fears of terrorist involvement. For at least a day the network that links millions of people became a sort of global water cooler with a single overriding topic.

Information was obviously not the main point. The T.W.A. page offered only a sketchy, strained announcement: "Trans World Airlines was notified at 8:48 P.M. Eastern time by the F.A.A. that T.W.A.'s Flight 800, a 747-100, had left the radar screen approximately 20 miles south of Southampton in the New York area." The page also gave telephone numbers for passengers' relatives.

Far more gripping were the expressions of grief and condolence from around the world.

"I know this is probably not the correct newsgroup to use, however, I don't know of any other -- please be patient," read a message to a Usenet newsgroup, soc.penpals, signed Gwen S. Gerber, Pretoria, Transvaal, Republic of South Africa. "I was chilled to the bone this morning when the radio broadcaster announced that the T.W.A. flight went down after it took off from J.F.K. airport. My family and I would like to express our deepest sympathy to all those families who have been affected by this great tragedy. It is our sincere prayer that God might have spared lives, but according to the news reports received here in South Africa, there is little or no hope.

"If anyone is reading my message, and you know of someone who has been affected, please will you forward my message on to them."